


A Mermaid's Song

by LadyOxymoron



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Merpeople, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 15:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20473178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOxymoron/pseuds/LadyOxymoron
Summary: On her quest to slay a monster, a knight finds more than she bargained for.





	A Mermaid's Song

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Painting by Ian Rayer Smith.

Lady Maia of the Hunter’s Moon wasn’t a monster slayer. Her duty as a knight was the only reason she was trudging on the rocky slopes of Nephilim’s forest, sword hacking at overgrown brambles. 

Maia’s love for swords and her desire to protect her people had been the reasons she became a knight. She loved the fight and the training and the leather weighting on her body, even now as she walked in the summer heat, chasing the monster responsible for the death of several hunters.

She paused as she heard the mellifluous voice of a woman, brushing off the inability to resist its pull as need to warn the damsel of the dangers lurking in the forest. 

Maia followed the song to the edge of a clearing, taking in the sight before her: a stream of water fell into a small lake and there, sitting on a boulder, was the singing woman.

She had the face of an angel. Red hair cascaded over her shoulders, leaving her torso exposed, water gleaming over her bare breasts. 

Maia’s face grew hot at the sight. 

She crept closer until her feet reached the bank, gasping as she noticed the anomaly. 

The woman’s waist ended in a fishtail, its scales iridescent under the sunlight, their glimmering magnified by the water. 

A mermaid. 

Maia crouched behind tall grass, so focused on the creature that she didn’t notice the movements below the water. A splash was her only warning before something closed around her ankles and _ pulled_, dragging her in the shallow water, an icy arm around her throat. 

“Don’t kill her, Izzy.” 

The distraction was enough for Maia to knock loose the creature’s arm and turn around, sword already in hand.

Another mermaid stared at her, unafraid of the sword at her throat, eyes ablaze with fury. 

“Please,” the red-headed mermaid said, throwing herself from the boulder and swimming closer. “Don’t hurt her.”

“She attacked me,” Maia said, sword unwavering. 

“I won’t let anyone take Clary,” the mermaid- _ Izzy _ said. 

The defiant tilt of Izzy’s chin told Maia this wasn’t the first time someone had tried to. “Wait, are you the ones attacking hunters?”

Izzy bared her teeth. “You mean the ones who tried to turn us into prizes?”

_ Of course_. Catching a mermaid would get anyone fame and riches. It was no wonder hunters would try to profit from them. 

Maia sighed and sheathed her sword.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she watched the mermaids reunite and kiss and something must have shown in her face because when they pulled back, Clary swam toward her.

“Thank you,” Clary said, reaching out to stroke Maia’s face before turning to Izzy. “She’s beautiful.”

“She is.” Izzy joined them and wrapped an arm around Clary’s waist. “And honorable.”

Clary’s smiled and Maia’s knees went weak. “Can we keep her?”

“You’ll have to ask her,” Izzy replied, smile as beautiful as Clary’s.

Maia laughed and unfastened her hip holster. “I think I’ll stay for a while.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
